Standard I Technology Operations and Concepts serves as the foundation for all the remaining technology facilitation standards. Chapter One discusses how all educators must possess a "basic set of technology-related knowledge and skills" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). As more schools are receiving technology equipment many states are requiring that educators have some type of basic technology proficiency. "With limited prior technical experience either at home or at school, most practicing educators depended on school technology professionals to help them acquire the knowledge they needed" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). All of the teachers at my campus possess a basic knowledge of technology skills that they use in their day to day activities at home and school. Implementing this standard into my field-based activities wasn't a concern as our campus has progressed through this challenge.
With me beginning my educational journey teaching Technology Applications EC-12 I feel as though I possess a advanced set of technology skills. Teaching other teachers and students has strengthened my ability to lead as well as model basic technology operations. While completing my field-based activities I was able to meet with individual and small groups to provide a "professional learning opportunity with a broader focus on teaching, learning, and the curriculum" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Collaborating with colleagues from my school in the wiki that I created for EDLD5306 gave teachers a chance to share their beliefs of how they would want to improve their technology skills in classroom instruction.
The knowledge I've gained from reflecting on this standard is that technology leaders must demonstrate a advanced or in-depth knowledge of technologies as it relates to the "knowledge, skills, and understanding of technology operations and concepts" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). "Teachers who understand how multiple components work together to make the learning activity possible have been found to be more successful in implementing technology than teachers whose knowledge of technology operations and concepts is less evolved and more discrete" (Zhao, Pugh, Sheldon, and Byers, 2002). As a learner I will continue to provide a professional learning community where educators can discuss and share their ideas for growth and continual improvement. The challenges that still lie ahead are getting teachers to embrace change and continue to learn how to use new technologies "Adults-like students-need to acquire basic skills and foundational knowledge, but they are more likely to understand, retain, and transfer this knowledge when it is embedded in meaningful, authentic contexts (Bransford & Cocking, 1999).
References
Bransford, J & Cocking, P. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S., & Byers, J. (2002). Conditions for classroom technology innovations. Teachers College Record, 104, 482-515.
Standards II-Planning, Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Standard II Planning, Designing Learning Environments and Experiences is all about implementing technology to support curriculum integration. Technology should never replace instruction it should enhance it. In a recent survey in 2005 from the ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards it commented that,"less than 50% ever used technology to support instruction" (CDW-G, 2005). I learned that teachers need help and support in designing and planning learning experiences for technology-integrated instruction. I was able to help my 4th grade team integrate technology for a Mountain Animal Adaption unit which was a six week cumulative project. Even though my team was open to using technology they were unsure of how to go about planning the technical aspects which was going to require a lot of research.
With the information I learned from reading standard II I was able to find appropriate websites and technology resources to assist the teachers with supporting their students with this challenging task. The team met in the computer lab for me to walk them through the lesson plans and technology software we would use throughout the unit."Even without the integration of technology, the instructional design process requires teachers to consider multiple factors such as what to teach (content), how best to teach it (pedagogy), what resources to use (instructional materials), how to manage students and resources throughout the learning process (classroom management), and how to monitor student learning (assessment)" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
Standard II is a a challenging skill to teach as teachers learn how to plan to implement technology to support classroom instruction. "As teachers plan, the filter their instructional design decisions through a unique set of socially constructed beliefs about what constitutes knowledge in their content area, how people learn best, and what is the right approach for the specific students in their class (Schulman, 1987). Working with my team on this project made me feel proud to be a technology leader. They were receptive to new ways of teaching and learning and open to the possibility of doing a more authentic learning experiences in the future. The challenge still lies with conveying to educators that "in order for technology to have the greatest impact on student learning, it must be embedded in effective learning environments" (Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, and Rasmussen, 1995).
References
Jones, B., Valdez,G,, Nowakowski, J,, and Rasmussen, C. (1995). Plugging in: Choosing and using educational technology. Oakbrook, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Schulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1-22.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard III-Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Standard III focuses on how school technology leaders teach, learn, and implement the curriculum. The text mentions how educators are still confused as to how to teach and integrate the curriculum. Schools are still behind in using technology in preparing students to pursue a post-secondary education. "Although students may be skilled in using technology to pursue their own social and entertainment purposes outside of school, they are still unprepared to use technology to pursue post-secondary studies, daily work in various professional and technical fields, lifelong learning, and civic engagement" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). In the readings I've learned that technology must be implemented in an interactive environment instead of teaching isolated technical skills. "In such environments, students claim they could learn better and more deeply by constructing products, accessing online learning opportunities, finding information tailored to specific learning goals, and connecting with teachers, beyond-school-mentors, and peer for purposes of learning. They also hoped for learning contexts that were challening, meaningful, interesting, and relevant to their futures" (Gates Foundation, 2006).
Standard III was the overlying standard used in most of my internship activities. My approach toward the strategies to implement the standard was to begin with the technology TEKS. Technology leaders first look to "what students must be able to do with technology rather than on the tools themselves-a revision that should facilitate the integration of student technology standards into core academic areas" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). In the 21st century after-school program where I taught Internet Explorers I was able to reference standard TF.III.A. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards. I would refer to the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and create authentic products that were challenging based on the technology skills for that particular grade level that would enhance the Curriculum Planning Guides (CPG). For the DISD Thriving Minds summer camp I had to work with the 3rd and 4th grade teachers to select technology-based projects that would support the curriculum. This references standard TF-III.B.1 Use methods and strategies for integrating technology resources that the needs of diverse learners, including adaptive and assistive technology. LAN school is a classroom management software that allows the teacher to control all of the students computers and manage whole-classroom instruction. I shared with the teachers at my campus how to utilize a better classroom management technique which references standard TF-III.D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhances learning environment. While I was researching the proper resources to share with the fourth grade team for our culminating Mountain Animal Adaption project it supports TF-III.E use current research and district/region/state/national content standards to build lessons and units of instruction. Throughout the duration of these field-based activities it was fun to become a technology leader. All of the projects turned out to be masterpieces of art and the students had fun gathering resources and multmedia to bring all of the components to life. The teachers were excited that they had learned new skills to share with their students and were also able to gain excellent classroom management skills for working with technology.
As a learner, standard III is one of the most challenging to plan but is essential to aiding life-long learning. Future discussions must continue to occur to support curriculum development. Past interactions has allowed me to revise best practices and strategies for future learning opportunities. The challenge worthy of investigating is finding time to model exemplary research-based strategies that promote higher order thinking and problem-solving skills. "In spite of the central role technology plans in modern life, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills maintains that there is a gap between what students learn in school and the knowledge and sills they need for their future careers (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006).
References
Gates Foundation. (2006). Why do kids drop out? Retrieved from www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2006). Are they really ready to work: Employers' perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. Retrieved from www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard IV-Assessment and Evaluation
Standard IV is the assessment and evaluation of technology literacy. "Although Title II, Part D of NCLB succeeded in placing a new emphasis on technology literacy, educators were left with little energy to tackle the issue" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). States lack "the specificity about reporting and accountability that is present for assessment in other core academic areas" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). Technology leaders are having to design and create their own assessments to assess student learning. Technology provides teachers a way to assess student learning to "create authentic, original products-such as short-answer questions, essays, performance assessments, oral presentations, demonstrations, exhibitions, and portfolios-representing what they have learned (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2004). The information that I've learned provided insight to reflect on my field-based activities where assessment and evaluation was at the heart of my learning experience. Providing students with other methods of assessment besides the traditional multiple-test approach proved to show successful results.
As a part of the Technology Integration Initiative that my school district implemented two years ago I was able to participate in the e-Instruction student response system workshop. I was excited to learn how to effectively use the eInstruction system to promote student engagement, check for mastery, and increase student interest in the content. This referenced standard TF-IV.A apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques. Also, I was able to learn how to prepare lessons, use the eInstruction technology system with students, and generate reports to document student progress and mastery of the standards. Using the eInstruction classroom response system is a very easy way to quiz students to see how they are mastering certain objectives which referenced standard TF-IV.B use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning. In the end, teachers and students enjoyed watching the classes scores and how each of their classmates answered the questions. Teachers were thrilled that the e-classroom Response system provided an alternative way of assessment in a fun manner. In the DISD Thriving Minds Summer camp students were able to create interactive products to assess student learning. The 3rd grade students had a chance to use Scholastic Keys-Max Show to type up a summary and paint a picture of their favorite Texas hero. Fourth grade students were studying the Journeys across Texas and were able to create a state symbols powerpoint presentation and a brochure about their Texas region in Publisher. These products referenced standard TF-IV.C apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity. Summer school teachers love the way that technology bridged the gap of the curriculum and providing rigorous learning opportunities for the students.
What I gained from the learning was that these experiences connected with the readings from the master's program because students love being hands-on with their learning. My past interactions with colleagues will provide additional opportunities to model to other workshop participants how to correlate the Curriculum Planning Guides to create quizzes/tests to assess student mastery of essential content standards. The challenge that lies before me with assessment is how to document the effects on student learning. "Even when desirable technology-related outcomes are met, educators often have failed "to document the effect on student learning, teacher practices, and system efficiencies" (Metiri Group & Cisco Systems, 2006).
References
Metiri Group & Cisco Systems. (2006). Technology in schools: What the research says. Retrieved from www.cisco.com/Web/strategy/docs/education/TechnologyinSchoolsReport.pdf
North Central Regional Laboratory. (2004). Pathways to school improvement: Alternative assessment. Retrieved from www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assessment/as8lk30.htm
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard V-Productivity and Professional Practice
Standard V references how educators must continue to learn how to use technology and improve their own professional practice in the workplace. While educators must continue to focus on the student use of technology they must not neglect their own professional development opportunities. I learned that there is now a vast amount of telecommunication tools that are available to schools to increase productivity and redundancy such as blogs, wikis, podcasting, video conferencing, and learning management systems. With the invention of these tools it has helped teachers to focus more on instruction rather than routine tasks. After further reading I realized that the downfall to educators using productivity tools is the learning curve required to use the tool. "The term "learning curve" is often used to convey the relationship between experience and efficiency. The more difficult the learning curve, the longer it takes users to realize the benefits of the technology" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Technology leaders help teachers to become proficient in using new technologies and assist them during the implementation phase. "By helping other educators become proficient users of productivity tools, technologist can help schools into efficient workplaces reflecting the skills and knowledge students need to be productive members of society in the digital age" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
In completing my field-based activities that were several tasks that allowed me to practice this standard. This past summer I was able to share the use of Google Docs with the summer school and administrative staff at my campus. Google Docs is one telecommunication tool that allows users to collaborate and share documents online from any location 24/7. I introduced this tool to the campus instructional leadership team this summer to increase communication among campus staff, teachers, and other district personnel. Our campus was going through a transition period this summer where our office manager was relocating to another position. One of her duties was to update the Eagle Call board which was where the upcoming announcements were provided each week for the faculty/campus events. The instructional team met together and decided to try Google Docs. I thought it was an excellent recommendation to correspond and send documents to all of the staff. Now we no longer have to depend on a e-mail and we can access important meeting information from home. One of things I learned is that Google Docs provides a relevant use for communication among campus staff, teachers, students, and parents. It also can be used to support faculty collaboration and or parent/teacher collaboration."Models of professional development that are generative, meaningful, collaborative, and participant-centered are also best suited to supporting change-a frequent companion to most technology-related initiatives" (Fullan, 2001). In Fall 2010 I was chosen to become the Technology Integration Mentor (T.I.M) for my campus. During the professional learning meetings I'm able to provide trainings to campus staff in the following areas: STaR Chart, Integrating Technology into the curriculum with Moodle, Student Assessment using Technology Resources, Smart board, Document Cameras, Airline Slate, and Microsoft Office 2007. Teachers are able to ask questions and learn best practices of how to use technology to integrate into the curriculum. Also, during the technology meetings there is an opportunity for teachers to learn to use new technologies as well as practice setting up the equipment."To promote learning, organizations ensure that their employees have ample opportunities for ongoing sustained learning, reflection, and inquiry" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Completing both field-based activities provided me with the knowledge on how to enhance communication with other colleagues. Teachers felt more comfortable in sharing and receiving resources with one another when they knew it was going to be housed in one location. The technology professional learning community helped staff learn about best practices and how to support student learning.
The knowledge I gained was the importance of creating professional learning communities to foster and support new learning. Professional learning communities provide a way for educators to problem-solve, reflect, and engage in collaborative discussions to encourage learning. "In professional learning communities, learning opportunities extend beyond training and workshops. Learning is organized around the most important type of work-monitoring progress toward organizational goals and improving performance" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
My past interactions with colleagues will help me plan future professional learning community meeting goals and continue to foster a community of learning. I have found that educators learn best from other educators experiences. "The goals for education must focus on improving student learning, and all educators must share collective responsibility for reaching them" (Bruce, Calhoun, & Hopkins, 1999). The challenge that is worthy of investigation is what online resources or tutorials exist for educators that need assistance in using basic productivity tools in their professional practice.
References
Bruce, R., Calhoun, E., and Hopkins, D. (1999). The new structure of school improvement: Inquiring schools and achieving students. Philadelphia: Open Univerisity Press.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VI-Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
In Standard VI the chapter addresses the social, ethical, legal, and human components of using technology in education. It is my personal belief that technology works best when it is utilized correctly and efficiently. "When used properly, information and communication technologies open new opportunities for learning and help students acquire necessary technology-related knowledge and skills for work and citizenship in the digital age" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Students must be provided with equal access to the internet and software applications as well as to the hardware. Assisstive technologies must be provided in order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Three major concerns for education are online safety, copyright, and internet safe policies. School districts are taking serious measure to protect students privacy and block web sites that are obscene or harmful to children. "Primarily, youth-with developing moral structures and limited life experiences-are leading the effort outside of school, with educators and parents knowing very little about the technologies students use and only 8% of schools providing cybersafety training (CDW-G, 2007).
One of my field-based activities was at the 21st century after school program I was able to mentor elementary students on how to be safe while surfing the world wide web. It was interesting to see how many students were not taking proactive measures while conversing to others on the internet. I taught them how not to share personal information, passwords, images, as well as talk to people if they did not know who they were. "Recent survey results suggest that nearly all (96%) online teens have used social networking technologies such as chat, text messaging, blogging, and online communities such as MySpace and Facebook (National School Boards Association, 2007). It was amazing to see that many of these students had personal e-mail accounts and web pages where they posted their private information. I was able to take them to the NetSmartz website that teachers students how to navigate safely on the internet. The site also shows them video vignettes, interactive safety games, and personal tutorials on how to use the web safely. For the teachers on my campus I was able to share with them child-friendly websites and resources to use with their students. There are alot of instances where students like to use yahoo and google to search for images for different multimedia projects. I was able to work with our campus librarian to locate educational databases and encyclopedias for research purposes. The teachers were glad to have a kid friendly resource that they didn't have to worry about monitoring every student's move or inappropriate material. At the end of the activity students were more knowledgeable about being safe online. They shared with me that they were more cautious of talking with students they didn't know as well as sharing confidential information. Teachers were more open to letting their students search online using safe district approved websites for school projects. I think that both of the field-based activities was a success and provided an opportunity for future conversations.
Educators must be taught the proper procedures of using copyrighted materials and intellectual property rights. This will help educators in communicating the proper information to their students regarding copyright and plagiarism. Acceptable use policies address the responsibilities that educators and students must follow when using technology. "AUPs set boundaries around technology use and educate teachers and parents about security, online safety, copyright, netiquette, cyberbullying, and other emerging issues" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). As a technology leader it is my responsibility to continue to develop, implement, and communicate new technology policies and procedures from state and federal legislation. A challenge that is worth of investigating is how can our campus inform parents about internet safety tools that they may install on their personal computers at home. Also, how can the district receive funding to help all DISD students to receive at least one personal computer per household to use for educational purposes.
References
CDW-G (2007). School safety index. Retrieved from http:///Webobjects.cdw.com/Webobjects/docs/pdfs/CDWG_School_Safety_Index_2007.pdf
National School Boards Association (NSBA). (2007). Creating and connecting: Research and guidelines on online social and educational networking. Retrieved from http://files.nsba.org/creatingandconnecting.pdf
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VII-Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments
In Standard VII this chapter references how educational technology facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, plans, and budgets for PK-12 schools. It was discussed that teachers must have access to technology tools and the school infrastructure must be reliable and operable. "Without adequate infrastructure support, teachers are easily frustrated and prone to abandon technology, dismissing it as unreliable" (Sandholtz, Reilly, & Zhao, 2004). Schools must provide a sufficient infrastructure to support K-12 learning concepts and goals. Superintendents, campus-office administration, and principals must budget for technology-rich learning environments. What I learned from the reading is that "lack of access to technology is still perceived as a common obstacle to implementing technology for instruction" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). It was mentioned that teachers want to integrate technology into the curriculum, but do not have access to the available technologies that they want to use. These technologies just sit and remained untouched because educators haven't been trained to use the technology and are unsure of how they increase learning in supporting the curriculum. "While teachers may have access to technologies, they do not have access to the technologies that they want and need to implement the curriculum" (Fraizer & Bailey, 2004). Schools districts also need to inquire and research the technologies that would be interested in purchasing and create a plan to request quote, bides, and proposals from vendors. Once the products are delivered to the schools then school districts must have adequate technical support to handle maintenance and trouble shooting of technical equipment.
I participated in several field based activities that provided me more insight into standard VII. The first activity was entitled Choosing technology equipment for classroom instruction. Every semester as the campus technologist I have to complete a technology inventory of all of the equipment that is located in our building. One of the needs that I found that our campus desperately needed was a 1:1 ratio of in-focus projectors, and document cameras I was able to work with my principal and campus instructional leadership team (CILT) to purchase one of each of these items for every teacher on our campus. With any money left over I proposed to spend on additional SMART boards and laptops to share amongst grade level teams. This references standard TF-VII.B.1 identify instructional software to support and enhance the school curriculum and develop recommendations for purchase. Training was provided to the staff on how to use the equipment and teachers are now using the equipment on a daily basis for classroom instruction. Also, as the campus technologist my job was to be the liaison between the Instructional Technology department, Technical Assistance Center (TAC), campus administration, and faculty. I was responsible for basic campus troubleshooting, input and manage TAC tickets, manage campus Novell accounts, prepare and manage campus connectivity for TELPAS, and updating campus inventory. This references standard TF-VII.A.6 use and apply strategies for troubleshooting and maintaining various hardware/software configurations found in school settings. Last, but not least I saw the need to create a classroom computer lab rotation schedule to allow all teachers to have access to use the computer lab. Teachers are able to sign up for their designated times that they would like to use the computer lab for research and various other computer needs. The computer lab rotation schedule allowed a proactive way for teachers to plan to use technology resources and plan for their instructional needs. It also gave students equal access to use technology to enhance the curriculum and provide them practice with practicing the NETS. This references standard TF-VII.A.8 work with technology support personnel to maximize the use of technology resources by administrators, teachers, and students to improve learning. I was very pleased with the success of all of these activities. Technology integration has been slow on our campus but now that we are starting to purchase new technology equipment it has been a step in the right direction.
What I gained from reading this chapter is that if teachers are to use technology than they must have access to use it. "Researchers repeatedly suggest that access to technology is the strongest predictor of technology use in the classroom" (Norris, Sullivan, Poirot, & Soloway, 2003). School and technology leaders must ensure that classrooms are set up effectively to support technology integration and learning. Technology support programs must be in place to plan, train, and support educators in using technology. Technology infrastructure must be in place "with adequate bandwidth for internet access, well-maintained equipment, updated software, and immediate technical support when problems occur" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). The challenge that is worthy of investigation is with teachers receiving a high level of access to technology equipment that there is still a disconnect with teachers utilizing the equipment for instruction.
Norris, C., Sullivan, T., Poirot, J., & Soloway, E. (2003). No access, no use, no impact: Snapshot surveys of educational technology in K-12 schools. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 15-26.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VIII-Leadership and Vision
Standard VIII addressed how technology leaders must create a shared vision to lead and implement change into K-12 learning environments. After reading this chapter I learned that all of the other seven standards are intertwined in standard VIII. Technology leaders must help schools establish a shared vision of change and assist them with creating goals that will reach their objectives. Technology leaders must convince campus administration that the use of technology will help achieve school improvement goals and are relevant to the learning process. "Technology needs to be seen as a critical "have-to-do" rather than an additional "nice-to-do" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). The knowledge that registered with my learning is that technology plans should be focused on student learning, grounded in research and best practices, aligned to other strategic initiatives, comprehensive, simple and clear, useful and achievable, measurable, and logical. Success of a good technology plan is essential upon having and communicating a shared vision to improve student learning.
In my field based activities I was able to reflect upon the leadership and vision that I shared with my campus. Toward the end of my internship I was assigned to be my campus Technology Integration Mentor (T.I.M). which was a new program designed by my school district. This references standard TF-VIII.C.1 discuss the rational for forming school partnerships to support technology integration and examine an existing partnership within a school setting. Even though I considered myself a TIM before I was officially called one I took the role very seriously. With this role came the responsibility of teaching the teachers how to integrate technology into the curriculum. This was a very challenging task. Most of the teachers on my campus were open to change, but many of the older veteran teachers were resistant at first. Slowly I was able to persuade and model how to use the technologies and how it would help increase their students learning experience. Teachers were able to sign up for the following courses based upon their interest and technical skill level for the following courses: STaR Chart, Integrating Technology into the curriculum with Moodle, Student Assessment using Technology Resources, Smart board, Document Cameras, Airline Slate, and Microsoft Office 2007. This references standard TF-VIII.E.1 examine components needed for effective field-based experiences in instructional program development, professional development, facility and resource management, WAN/LAN/wireless systems, or managing change related to technology use in school-based settings. Hands on training was provided with additional handouts and technology tips on how to use the equipment. Teachers were able to share their personal experiences and curriculum ideas with each other during the sessions. At the end of the experience I found that technology was a sensitive subject for most teachers, but the experience provided rewarding results. Since more teachers showed an interest in purchasing more technologies then our campus was able to purchase more document cameras, projectors, and smartboards over the past summer.
The knowledge I gained is that must be used to engage in higher-order thinking skills, performance-based instruction, and student centered learning. Technology leaders and facilitators must initiate this change and shared vision amongst the campus and community to improve educational goals. "Without this leadership and vision for instructional change, technology may be used to reinforce traditional forms of instruction, but not to enable new ways of teaching and learning in the classroom" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). My past interactions have taught me that leadership is not always easy and change is not always welcomed however change is sometimes necessary. I must continue to be a technology leaders and educate myself on how technology can impact student learning. As a lifelong learner the question that is worthy of investigating is, "Are all campuses are required at this point to have a written comprehensive technology plan?" "Inspiring a diverse group of people to establish and accomplish common goals is a critical enabling factor in the success of any school improvement effort. Technology programs are no exception" (Anderson & Dexter, 2000).
References
Anderson, R., & Dexter, S. (2000). School technology leadership: Incidence and impact. Retrieved from www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings/report_6/startpage.html
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standards I-Technology Operations and Concepts
Standard I Technology Operations and Concepts serves as the foundation for all the remaining technology facilitation standards. Chapter One discusses how all educators must possess a "basic set of technology-related knowledge and skills" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). As more schools are receiving technology equipment many states are requiring that educators have some type of basic technology proficiency. "With limited prior technical experience either at home or at school, most practicing educators depended on school technology professionals to help them acquire the knowledge they needed" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). All of the teachers at my campus possess a basic knowledge of technology skills that they use in their day to day activities at home and school. Implementing this standard into my field-based activities wasn't a concern as our campus has progressed through this challenge.With me beginning my educational journey teaching Technology Applications EC-12 I feel as though I possess a advanced set of technology skills. Teaching other teachers and students has strengthened my ability to lead as well as model basic technology operations. While completing my field-based activities I was able to meet with individual and small groups to provide a "professional learning opportunity with a broader focus on teaching, learning, and the curriculum" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Collaborating with colleagues from my school in the wiki that I created for EDLD5306 gave teachers a chance to share their beliefs of how they would want to improve their technology skills in classroom instruction.
The knowledge I've gained from reflecting on this standard is that technology leaders must demonstrate a advanced or in-depth knowledge of technologies as it relates to the "knowledge, skills, and understanding of technology operations and concepts" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). "Teachers who understand how multiple components work together to make the learning activity possible have been found to be more successful in implementing technology than teachers whose knowledge of technology operations and concepts is less evolved and more discrete" (Zhao, Pugh, Sheldon, and Byers, 2002). As a learner I will continue to provide a professional learning community where educators can discuss and share their ideas for growth and continual improvement. The challenges that still lie ahead are getting teachers to embrace change and continue to learn how to use new technologies "Adults-like students-need to acquire basic skills and foundational knowledge, but they are more likely to understand, retain, and transfer this knowledge when it is embedded in meaningful, authentic contexts (Bransford & Cocking, 1999).
References
Bransford, J & Cocking, P. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S., & Byers, J. (2002). Conditions for classroom technology innovations. Teachers College Record, 104, 482-515.
Standards II-Planning, Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Standard II Planning, Designing Learning Environments and Experiences is all about implementing technology to support curriculum integration. Technology should never replace instruction it should enhance it. In a recent survey in 2005 from the ISTE's Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards it commented that,"less than 50% ever used technology to support instruction" (CDW-G, 2005). I learned that teachers need help and support in designing and planning learning experiences for technology-integrated instruction. I was able to help my 4th grade team integrate technology for a Mountain Animal Adaption unit which was a six week cumulative project. Even though my team was open to using technology they were unsure of how to go about planning the technical aspects which was going to require a lot of research.With the information I learned from reading standard II I was able to find appropriate websites and technology resources to assist the teachers with supporting their students with this challenging task. The team met in the computer lab for me to walk them through the lesson plans and technology software we would use throughout the unit."Even without the integration of technology, the instructional design process requires teachers to consider multiple factors such as what to teach (content), how best to teach it (pedagogy), what resources to use (instructional materials), how to manage students and resources throughout the learning process (classroom management), and how to monitor student learning (assessment)" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
Standard II is a a challenging skill to teach as teachers learn how to plan to implement technology to support classroom instruction. "As teachers plan, the filter their instructional design decisions through a unique set of socially constructed beliefs about what constitutes knowledge in their content area, how people learn best, and what is the right approach for the specific students in their class (Schulman, 1987). Working with my team on this project made me feel proud to be a technology leader. They were receptive to new ways of teaching and learning and open to the possibility of doing a more authentic learning experiences in the future. The challenge still lies with conveying to educators that "in order for technology to have the greatest impact on student learning, it must be embedded in effective learning environments" (Jones, Valdez, Nowakowski, and Rasmussen, 1995).
References
Jones, B., Valdez,G,, Nowakowski, J,, and Rasmussen, C. (1995). Plugging in: Choosing and using educational technology. Oakbrook, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
Schulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1-22.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard III-Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Standard III focuses on how school technology leaders teach, learn, and implement the curriculum. The text mentions how educators are still confused as to how to teach and integrate the curriculum. Schools are still behind in using technology in preparing students to pursue a post-secondary education. "Although students may be skilled in using technology to pursue their own social and entertainment purposes outside of school, they are still unprepared to use technology to pursue post-secondary studies, daily work in various professional and technical fields, lifelong learning, and civic engagement" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). In the readings I've learned that technology must be implemented in an interactive environment instead of teaching isolated technical skills. "In such environments, students claim they could learn better and more deeply by constructing products, accessing online learning opportunities, finding information tailored to specific learning goals, and connecting with teachers, beyond-school-mentors, and peer for purposes of learning. They also hoped for learning contexts that were challening, meaningful, interesting, and relevant to their futures" (Gates Foundation, 2006).
Standard III was the overlying standard used in most of my internship activities. My approach toward the strategies to implement the standard was to begin with the technology TEKS. Technology leaders first look to "what students must be able to do with technology rather than on the tools themselves-a revision that should facilitate the integration of student technology standards into core academic areas" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). In the 21st century after-school program where I taught Internet Explorers I was able to reference standard TF.III.A. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards. I would refer to the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) and create authentic products that were challenging based on the technology skills for that particular grade level that would enhance the Curriculum Planning Guides (CPG). For the DISD Thriving Minds summer camp I had to work with the 3rd and 4th grade teachers to select technology-based projects that would support the curriculum. This references standard TF-III.B.1 Use methods and strategies for integrating technology resources that the needs of diverse learners, including adaptive and assistive technology. LAN school is a classroom management software that allows the teacher to control all of the students computers and manage whole-classroom instruction. I shared with the teachers at my campus how to utilize a better classroom management technique which references standard TF-III.D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhances learning environment. While I was researching the proper resources to share with the fourth grade team for our culminating Mountain Animal Adaption project it supports TF-III.E use current research and district/region/state/national content standards to build lessons and units of instruction. Throughout the duration of these field-based activities it was fun to become a technology leader. All of the projects turned out to be masterpieces of art and the students had fun gathering resources and multmedia to bring all of the components to life. The teachers were excited that they had learned new skills to share with their students and were also able to gain excellent classroom management skills for working with technology.
As a learner, standard III is one of the most challenging to plan but is essential to aiding life-long learning. Future discussions must continue to occur to support curriculum development. Past interactions has allowed me to revise best practices and strategies for future learning opportunities. The challenge worthy of investigating is finding time to model exemplary research-based strategies that promote higher order thinking and problem-solving skills. "In spite of the central role technology plans in modern life, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills maintains that there is a gap between what students learn in school and the knowledge and sills they need for their future careers (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2006).
References
Gates Foundation. (2006). Why do kids drop out? Retrieved from www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/ed/TheSilentEpidemic3-06FINAL.pdf
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2006). Are they really ready to work: Employers' perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. Retrieved from www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard IV-Assessment and Evaluation
Standard IV is the assessment and evaluation of technology literacy. "Although Title II, Part D of NCLB succeeded in placing a new emphasis on technology literacy, educators were left with little energy to tackle the issue" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). States lack "the specificity about reporting and accountability that is present for assessment in other core academic areas" (Williamson & Redish, 2009). Technology leaders are having to design and create their own assessments to assess student learning. Technology provides teachers a way to assess student learning to "create authentic, original products-such as short-answer questions, essays, performance assessments, oral presentations, demonstrations, exhibitions, and portfolios-representing what they have learned (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2004). The information that I've learned provided insight to reflect on my field-based activities where assessment and evaluation was at the heart of my learning experience. Providing students with other methods of assessment besides the traditional multiple-test approach proved to show successful results.
As a part of the Technology Integration Initiative that my school district implemented two years ago I was able to participate in the e-Instruction student response system workshop. I was excited to learn how to effectively use the eInstruction system to promote student engagement, check for mastery, and increase student interest in the content. This referenced standard TF-IV.A apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques. Also, I was able to learn how to prepare lessons, use the eInstruction technology system with students, and generate reports to document student progress and mastery of the standards. Using the eInstruction classroom response system is a very easy way to quiz students to see how they are mastering certain objectives which referenced standard TF-IV.B use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning. In the end, teachers and students enjoyed watching the classes scores and how each of their classmates answered the questions. Teachers were thrilled that the e-classroom Response system provided an alternative way of assessment in a fun manner. In the DISD Thriving Minds Summer camp students were able to create interactive products to assess student learning. The 3rd grade students had a chance to use Scholastic Keys-Max Show to type up a summary and paint a picture of their favorite Texas hero. Fourth grade students were studying the Journeys across Texas and were able to create a state symbols powerpoint presentation and a brochure about their Texas region in Publisher. These products referenced standard TF-IV.C apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity. Summer school teachers love the way that technology bridged the gap of the curriculum and providing rigorous learning opportunities for the students.
What I gained from the learning was that these experiences connected with the readings from the master's program because students love being hands-on with their learning. My past interactions with colleagues will provide additional opportunities to model to other workshop participants how to correlate the Curriculum Planning Guides to create quizzes/tests to assess student mastery of essential content standards. The challenge that lies before me with assessment is how to document the effects on student learning. "Even when desirable technology-related outcomes are met, educators often have failed "to document the effect on student learning, teacher practices, and system efficiencies" (Metiri Group & Cisco Systems, 2006).
References
Metiri Group & Cisco Systems. (2006). Technology in schools: What the research says. Retrieved from www.cisco.com/Web/strategy/docs/education/TechnologyinSchoolsReport.pdfNorth Central Regional Laboratory. (2004). Pathways to school improvement: Alternative assessment. Retrieved from www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assessment/as8lk30.htm
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard V-Productivity and Professional Practice
Standard V references how educators must continue to learn how to use technology and improve their own professional practice in the workplace. While educators must continue to focus on the student use of technology they must not neglect their own professional development opportunities. I learned that there is now a vast amount of telecommunication tools that are available to schools to increase productivity and redundancy such as blogs, wikis, podcasting, video conferencing, and learning management systems. With the invention of these tools it has helped teachers to focus more on instruction rather than routine tasks. After further reading I realized that the downfall to educators using productivity tools is the learning curve required to use the tool. "The term "learning curve" is often used to convey the relationship between experience and efficiency. The more difficult the learning curve, the longer it takes users to realize the benefits of the technology" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Technology leaders help teachers to become proficient in using new technologies and assist them during the implementation phase. "By helping other educators become proficient users of productivity tools, technologist can help schools into efficient workplaces reflecting the skills and knowledge students need to be productive members of society in the digital age" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
In completing my field-based activities that were several tasks that allowed me to practice this standard. This past summer I was able to share the use of Google Docs with the summer school and administrative staff at my campus. Google Docs is one telecommunication tool that allows users to collaborate and share documents online from any location 24/7. I introduced this tool to the campus instructional leadership team this summer to increase communication among campus staff, teachers, and other district personnel. Our campus was going through a transition period this summer where our office manager was relocating to another position. One of her duties was to update the Eagle Call board which was where the upcoming announcements were provided each week for the faculty/campus events. The instructional team met together and decided to try Google Docs. I thought it was an excellent recommendation to correspond and send documents to all of the staff. Now we no longer have to depend on a e-mail and we can access important meeting information from home. One of things I learned is that Google Docs provides a relevant use for communication among campus staff, teachers, students, and parents. It also can be used to support faculty collaboration and or parent/teacher collaboration."Models of professional development that are generative, meaningful, collaborative, and participant-centered are also best suited to supporting change-a frequent companion to most technology-related initiatives" (Fullan, 2001). In Fall 2010 I was chosen to become the Technology Integration Mentor (T.I.M) for my campus. During the professional learning meetings I'm able to provide trainings to campus staff in the following areas: STaR Chart, Integrating Technology into the curriculum with Moodle, Student Assessment using Technology Resources, Smart board, Document Cameras, Airline Slate, and Microsoft Office 2007. Teachers are able to ask questions and learn best practices of how to use technology to integrate into the curriculum. Also, during the technology meetings there is an opportunity for teachers to learn to use new technologies as well as practice setting up the equipment."To promote learning, organizations ensure that their employees have ample opportunities for ongoing sustained learning, reflection, and inquiry" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Completing both field-based activities provided me with the knowledge on how to enhance communication with other colleagues. Teachers felt more comfortable in sharing and receiving resources with one another when they knew it was going to be housed in one location. The technology professional learning community helped staff learn about best practices and how to support student learning.
The knowledge I gained was the importance of creating professional learning communities to foster and support new learning. Professional learning communities provide a way for educators to problem-solve, reflect, and engage in collaborative discussions to encourage learning. "In professional learning communities, learning opportunities extend beyond training and workshops. Learning is organized around the most important type of work-monitoring progress toward organizational goals and improving performance" (Redish & Williamson, 2009).
My past interactions with colleagues will help me plan future professional learning community meeting goals and continue to foster a community of learning. I have found that educators learn best from other educators experiences. "The goals for education must focus on improving student learning, and all educators must share collective responsibility for reaching them" (Bruce, Calhoun, & Hopkins, 1999). The challenge that is worthy of investigation is what online resources or tutorials exist for educators that need assistance in using basic productivity tools in their professional practice.
References
Bruce, R., Calhoun, E., and Hopkins, D. (1999). The new structure of school improvement: Inquiring schools and achieving students. Philadelphia: Open Univerisity Press.Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VI-Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
In Standard VI the chapter addresses the social, ethical, legal, and human components of using technology in education. It is my personal belief that technology works best when it is utilized correctly and efficiently. "When used properly, information and communication technologies open new opportunities for learning and help students acquire necessary technology-related knowledge and skills for work and citizenship in the digital age" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). Students must be provided with equal access to the internet and software applications as well as to the hardware. Assisstive technologies must be provided in order to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Three major concerns for education are online safety, copyright, and internet safe policies. School districts are taking serious measure to protect students privacy and block web sites that are obscene or harmful to children. "Primarily, youth-with developing moral structures and limited life experiences-are leading the effort outside of school, with educators and parents knowing very little about the technologies students use and only 8% of schools providing cybersafety training (CDW-G, 2007).
One of my field-based activities was at the 21st century after school program I was able to mentor elementary students on how to be safe while surfing the world wide web. It was interesting to see how many students were not taking proactive measures while conversing to others on the internet. I taught them how not to share personal information, passwords, images, as well as talk to people if they did not know who they were. "Recent survey results suggest that nearly all (96%) online teens have used social networking technologies such as chat, text messaging, blogging, and online communities such as MySpace and Facebook (National School Boards Association, 2007). It was amazing to see that many of these students had personal e-mail accounts and web pages where they posted their private information. I was able to take them to the NetSmartz website that teachers students how to navigate safely on the internet. The site also shows them video vignettes, interactive safety games, and personal tutorials on how to use the web safely. For the teachers on my campus I was able to share with them child-friendly websites and resources to use with their students. There are alot of instances where students like to use yahoo and google to search for images for different multimedia projects. I was able to work with our campus librarian to locate educational databases and encyclopedias for research purposes. The teachers were glad to have a kid friendly resource that they didn't have to worry about monitoring every student's move or inappropriate material. At the end of the activity students were more knowledgeable about being safe online. They shared with me that they were more cautious of talking with students they didn't know as well as sharing confidential information. Teachers were more open to letting their students search online using safe district approved websites for school projects. I think that both of the field-based activities was a success and provided an opportunity for future conversations.
Educators must be taught the proper procedures of using copyrighted materials and intellectual property rights. This will help educators in communicating the proper information to their students regarding copyright and plagiarism. Acceptable use policies address the responsibilities that educators and students must follow when using technology. "AUPs set boundaries around technology use and educate teachers and parents about security, online safety, copyright, netiquette, cyberbullying, and other emerging issues" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). As a technology leader it is my responsibility to continue to develop, implement, and communicate new technology policies and procedures from state and federal legislation. A challenge that is worth of investigating is how can our campus inform parents about internet safety tools that they may install on their personal computers at home. Also, how can the district receive funding to help all DISD students to receive at least one personal computer per household to use for educational purposes.
References
CDW-G (2007). School safety index. Retrieved from http:///Webobjects.cdw.com/Webobjects/docs/pdfs/CDWG_School_Safety_Index_2007.pdf
National School Boards Association (NSBA). (2007). Creating and connecting: Research and guidelines on online social and educational networking. Retrieved from http://files.nsba.org/creatingandconnecting.pdf
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VII-Procedures, Policies, Planning, and Budgeting for Technology Environments
In Standard VII this chapter references how educational technology facilitators promote the development and implementation of technology infrastructure, procedures, policies, plans, and budgets for PK-12 schools. It was discussed that teachers must have access to technology tools and the school infrastructure must be reliable and operable. "Without adequate infrastructure support, teachers are easily frustrated and prone to abandon technology, dismissing it as unreliable" (Sandholtz, Reilly, & Zhao, 2004). Schools must provide a sufficient infrastructure to support K-12 learning concepts and goals. Superintendents, campus-office administration, and principals must budget for technology-rich learning environments. What I learned from the reading is that "lack of access to technology is still perceived as a common obstacle to implementing technology for instruction" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). It was mentioned that teachers want to integrate technology into the curriculum, but do not have access to the available technologies that they want to use. These technologies just sit and remained untouched because educators haven't been trained to use the technology and are unsure of how they increase learning in supporting the curriculum. "While teachers may have access to technologies, they do not have access to the technologies that they want and need to implement the curriculum" (Fraizer & Bailey, 2004). Schools districts also need to inquire and research the technologies that would be interested in purchasing and create a plan to request quote, bides, and proposals from vendors. Once the products are delivered to the schools then school districts must have adequate technical support to handle maintenance and trouble shooting of technical equipment.
I participated in several field based activities that provided me more insight into standard VII. The first activity was entitled Choosing technology equipment for classroom instruction. Every semester as the campus technologist I have to complete a technology inventory of all of the equipment that is located in our building. One of the needs that I found that our campus desperately needed was a 1:1 ratio of in-focus projectors, and document cameras I was able to work with my principal and campus instructional leadership team (CILT) to purchase one of each of these items for every teacher on our campus. With any money left over I proposed to spend on additional SMART boards and laptops to share amongst grade level teams. This references standard TF-VII.B.1 identify instructional software to support and enhance the school curriculum and develop recommendations for purchase. Training was provided to the staff on how to use the equipment and teachers are now using the equipment on a daily basis for classroom instruction. Also, as the campus technologist my job was to be the liaison between the Instructional Technology department, Technical Assistance Center (TAC), campus administration, and faculty. I was responsible for basic campus troubleshooting, input and manage TAC tickets, manage campus Novell accounts, prepare and manage campus connectivity for TELPAS, and updating campus inventory. This references standard TF-VII.A.6 use and apply strategies for troubleshooting and maintaining various hardware/software configurations found in school settings. Last, but not least I saw the need to create a classroom computer lab rotation schedule to allow all teachers to have access to use the computer lab. Teachers are able to sign up for their designated times that they would like to use the computer lab for research and various other computer needs. The computer lab rotation schedule allowed a proactive way for teachers to plan to use technology resources and plan for their instructional needs. It also gave students equal access to use technology to enhance the curriculum and provide them practice with practicing the NETS. This references standard TF-VII.A.8 work with technology support personnel to maximize the use of technology resources by administrators, teachers, and students to improve learning. I was very pleased with the success of all of these activities. Technology integration has been slow on our campus but now that we are starting to purchase new technology equipment it has been a step in the right direction.
What I gained from reading this chapter is that if teachers are to use technology than they must have access to use it. "Researchers repeatedly suggest that access to technology is the strongest predictor of technology use in the classroom" (Norris, Sullivan, Poirot, & Soloway, 2003). School and technology leaders must ensure that classrooms are set up effectively to support technology integration and learning. Technology support programs must be in place to plan, train, and support educators in using technology. Technology infrastructure must be in place "with adequate bandwidth for internet access, well-maintained equipment, updated software, and immediate technical support when problems occur" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). The challenge that is worthy of investigation is with teachers receiving a high level of access to technology equipment that there is still a disconnect with teachers utilizing the equipment for instruction.
References
CDW-G. (2006). Teacher Talks survey. Retrieved from http://newsroom.cdwg.com/features/feature-06-26-06.html
Norris, C., Sullivan, T., Poirot, J., & Soloway, E. (2003). No access, no use, no impact: Snapshot surveys of educational technology in K-12 schools. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 15-26.
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Standard VIII-Leadership and Vision
Standard VIII addressed how technology leaders must create a shared vision to lead and implement change into K-12 learning environments. After reading this chapter I learned that all of the other seven standards are intertwined in standard VIII. Technology leaders must help schools establish a shared vision of change and assist them with creating goals that will reach their objectives. Technology leaders must convince campus administration that the use of technology will help achieve school improvement goals and are relevant to the learning process. "Technology needs to be seen as a critical "have-to-do" rather than an additional "nice-to-do" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). The knowledge that registered with my learning is that technology plans should be focused on student learning, grounded in research and best practices, aligned to other strategic initiatives, comprehensive, simple and clear, useful and achievable, measurable, and logical. Success of a good technology plan is essential upon having and communicating a shared vision to improve student learning.
In my field based activities I was able to reflect upon the leadership and vision that I shared with my campus. Toward the end of my internship I was assigned to be my campus Technology Integration Mentor (T.I.M). which was a new program designed by my school district. This references standard TF-VIII.C.1 discuss the rational for forming school partnerships to support technology integration and examine an existing partnership within a school setting. Even though I considered myself a TIM before I was officially called one I took the role very seriously. With this role came the responsibility of teaching the teachers how to integrate technology into the curriculum. This was a very challenging task. Most of the teachers on my campus were open to change, but many of the older veteran teachers were resistant at first. Slowly I was able to persuade and model how to use the technologies and how it would help increase their students learning experience. Teachers were able to sign up for the following courses based upon their interest and technical skill level for the following courses: STaR Chart, Integrating Technology into the curriculum with Moodle, Student Assessment using Technology Resources, Smart board, Document Cameras, Airline Slate, and Microsoft Office 2007. This references standard TF-VIII.E.1 examine components needed for effective field-based experiences in instructional program development, professional development, facility and resource management, WAN/LAN/wireless systems, or managing change related to technology use in school-based settings. Hands on training was provided with additional handouts and technology tips on how to use the equipment. Teachers were able to share their personal experiences and curriculum ideas with each other during the sessions. At the end of the experience I found that technology was a sensitive subject for most teachers, but the experience provided rewarding results. Since more teachers showed an interest in purchasing more technologies then our campus was able to purchase more document cameras, projectors, and smartboards over the past summer.
The knowledge I gained is that must be used to engage in higher-order thinking skills, performance-based instruction, and student centered learning. Technology leaders and facilitators must initiate this change and shared vision amongst the campus and community to improve educational goals. "Without this leadership and vision for instructional change, technology may be used to reinforce traditional forms of instruction, but not to enable new ways of teaching and learning in the classroom" (Redish & Williamson, 2009). My past interactions have taught me that leadership is not always easy and change is not always welcomed however change is sometimes necessary. I must continue to be a technology leaders and educate myself on how technology can impact student learning. As a lifelong learner the question that is worthy of investigating is, "Are all campuses are required at this point to have a written comprehensive technology plan?" "Inspiring a diverse group of people to establish and accomplish common goals is a critical enabling factor in the success of any school improvement effort. Technology programs are no exception" (Anderson & Dexter, 2000).
References
Anderson, R., & Dexter, S. (2000). School technology leadership: Incidence and impact. Retrieved from www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings/report_6/startpage.html
Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.